Irish team named in bid for back-to-back Wellington Nations Cup wins

Fresh from their stunning Longines League of Nations success, The Underwriting Exchange Irish Show Jumping team bids to go back-to-back in the Florida Coast Equipment CSIO4* Nations Cup on Saturday night.

Michael Blake’s team won the competition last year with a typically dominant display to make if five Wellington Nations Cups and, coming off the back of the recent Abu Dhabi five-star win, confidence is high of a repeat performance.

Horse Sport Ireland Show Jumping High Performance Director Blake has named a suitably strong quartet for the outing, with Daniel Coyle joining Michael Duffy, Bertram Allen and Cian O’Connor in the line-up.

Derryman Coyle will be partnered by Incredible, Galway’s Duffy by Cantano 32, Wexford’s Allen with Qonquest de Rigo and Meath’s O’Connor with Belvedere.

Blake said: “Obviously we take great confidence from the Abu Dhabi win, but the beauty of competing in Nations Cups across the globe is that it’s a blank scoresheet and four different combinations going out to jump.

“I believe it’s a strong team we’ve selected and I’m looking forward to seeing how the combinations jump under the lights in an atmosphere like Wellington.

“It’s a very special place to compete in and the crowd are always fantastic so it’s sure to be a thrilling night. We are the defending champions and with that comes its own pressure but that’s the situation we want to be in and I’ve no doubt the lads will thrive under that pressure.”

The Underwriting Exchange Irish Show Jumping team for the Florida Coast Equipment CSIO4* Nations Cup in Wellington, Florida, is:

Bertram Allen with Qonquest de Rigo, owned by Ballywalter Stables Ltd.

Daniel Coyle with Incredible, owned by Ariel Grange.

Michael Duffy with Cantano 32, owned by Michael Duffy, Courtney Hopson and HS Sportpferde GmbH

Cian O’Connor with Belvedere, owned by Paseo Farms LLC

The Irish team celebrate in front of the Wellington crowd after winning the Nations Cup last year